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SPENCER – The future of the Spencer Rescue Squad was the main topic of discussion at the May 22 Board of Selectmen’s meeting. One of the items on the failed Proposition 2 ½ override request was $150,000 over three years to pay for the non-profit organization’s contract for three years with increases.
Pat George, president of the Spencer Rescue Squad, noted that the organization has served the town since 1959. He said that the Rescue Squad is as close to being a town department without being one and exists only to serve Spencer’s best interests.
The nonprofit has been paid the same amount for seven years, George said. Inflation, the high cost of ambulances and other expenses necessitate the requested increases.
However, Town Administrator Jeff Bridges noted that the FY26 budget except for the Rescue Squad is “stable.” He said the conversation from the start with the nonprofit was a “take it or leave it,” scenario, with them not wanting to accept anything less than a three-year contract at the higher rates.
Options discussed at the meeting included a six-month extension for the organization while the board figures out what it is going to do; a one-year deal while the town prepares a Request for Proposal (RFP) for emergency services; or pursuit of a three-year pact with Cataldo Ambulance Services Inc., a for-profit company that submitted a proposal totaling $225,000 to provide “identical services,” according to Bridges.
George said his board had endured a long, problematic process for several years and without a long-term commitment from the town, staff will leave, creating a shortage and inability to provide services.
“We need to put this to bed one way or another,” George said. “We should give people notice if we’re going to be done on June 30.”
Several Selectmen talked about their obligation to the voters following the override’s decisive defeat at the ballot box.
“The override is done. We’re tasked with making whatever we have work,” Selectman Gary Woodbury said. “We have got to find the answers.”
Woodbury said he told the town administrator they needed “breathing room” while figuring out the next steps. The Spencer Rescue Squad is the first matter to address because it is “time sensitive,’’ he said. Many more issues are on the horizon regarding other town departments, Woodbury added.
Addressing George, Woodbury said, “It does not mean we’re not going with you.”
George replied there would be “staffing issues,” and reiterated the Rescue Squad’s board wanted a three-year contract.
“We’re just postponing the inevitable at this point,” said Selectman Jared Griggs. He said he did not anticipate anyone coming in under the proposed amount offered by Cataldo.
Griggs said that for a town with 12,000 people, it is appropriate to have two, 24-hour ambulances available.
Selectman Jonathan Viner noted that Town Meeting approved $100,000 for the first year for Spencer Rescue Squad. He said if they pursued an extension, the town is obligated to pay it on that pro-rated basis.
However, because the Spencer Rescue Squad does not want a short-term measure, going with Cataldo’s services would free up that $100,000 and it could be used for other things, according to Viner.
“That’s a pretty big delta between zero to $225,000 and we can’t ignore that,” Viner said.
George said the other company proposed a lower price (which matches the Rescue’s Squad current rate) because they are unaware of the town’s demographics and the large number of people on Medicare or Medicaid.
“Spencer has a rural area, considered an ambulance desert because it’s a half hour away from the hospital,” George noted.
“Any call takes an ambulance away and it can take three hours,” he said, accounting for time transporting and evaluating the patient and paperwork at the hospital.
Bridges suggested having representatives from Cataldo at the May 27 meeting to talk about the services they can provide.
Selectman Ralph Hicks said the board should decide and vote next week, giving the Rescue Squad employees 30 days’ notice to look for another job.
Hicks said, “The quicker you take the band-aid off, the less it hurts.”
Viner said the decision was “partly made,” by the Rescue Squad because they would not entertain an extension or any option other than a three-year contract.
